Deodato “Very Together”

Eumir Deodato was cranking out the records in the Seventies—he strikes me as a guy who a lot of music came from his direction all the time. Maybe I’m wrong. I have one other—Prelude, from 1973, which I like better than this, but it’s close. This is from 1976. It starts out with “Peter Gunn theme,” which doesn’t thrill me—it’s an interesting version, but it’s hard to get past the familiarity of that tune. In my next lifetime, maybe I’ll warm up to it again. The next three songs on the first side are all great, and all Deodato compositions, as are the best two songs on the second side—one I particularly like, called “Juanita,” and one called “Univac Loves You.” Ha! There’s also an odd cover of “I Shot the Sheriff,” and a rendition of “Theme from Star Trek,” which I just put on while watching the opening of Star Trek (the original, it’s on every night at 7pm). Actually, this is an excellent record, and I’ve got to keep it in mind if I ever have a party ever again. Great party record! Also, probably good for cooking, painting the apartment, and making out. The title, “Very Together” strikes me as funny. Two simple words that sound awkward when combined… though maybe it’s some 1970s hipster expression I forgot or just never got. There is a photo of two bigger than life-size hands on the cover that are placed over an object that, for the life of me, I can’t identify. It’s probably obvious—maybe someone will fill me in. On the back is headshot of, I presume, Deodato that’s so huge you could imagine landing the LEM in one of his pores. I’ve got to remember to grab any more records I see by him—the two I have are excellent. They offer a unique and compelling soundtrack to anything worth gluing your eyeballs to.